


At the Gate

by CantatriceX (Cantatrice18)



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Abuse, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-04
Updated: 2011-12-04
Packaged: 2017-10-26 21:35:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/288166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/CantatriceX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shirou stumbles upon proof of Rider's abuse, and must find a way to help her before Shinji's cruelty kills her. Of course, he also has to make sure Rin doesn't find out he's aiding an enemy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Gate

The night was quiet as Rider walked Shirou to the gate. His meeting with Shinji had not gone as well as he’d hoped, but at least now he knew that the other boy was innocent of the attack on Mitsuri. As long as Shinji promised to stay out of the war and watch from the sidelines, there was nothing to be worried about. All the same, he couldn’t help but glance back at the tall, black-clad Servant following him. He’d sensed something odd about her in the forest, and that sense of unease still lingered. No, not unease, exactly – she just seemed different, more docile than most Servants. He wondered whether this had to do with Shinji’s lack of magic; perhaps the boy was unable to summon a truly heroic Servant. Even now, as she walked him to the gate, she seemed odd. Saber would have been hostile and protective if she’d been escorting another master out – Rider seemed almost resigned, and certainly not aggressive. They reached the gate and he turned back to her. “Hey, was that thing about Ryuudouji really true?” She stood, gazing at him silently. “Ah, that’s right, my bad. That was a rather stupid thing to ask of an enemy.”

He turned to go but a soft, low voice stopped him. “It is true that a witch lives on that mountain. Be careful if you’re going there. That witch knows everything about men.”

Her tone was somber, yet unexpectedly intense, and he looked back at her in surprise. “Ah, th-thanks for the advice. And – take care of Shinji. That’s the kind of guy he is, so protect him.”

She seemed taken aback, and oddly sad. “You are very good-natured.”

He turned to go once more and out of the corner of his eye he saw her reach towards him. He spun, grabbing her wrist, and prepared to fight; he knew from unfortunate experience that she could make her weapons invisible, and he had no desire to be impaled in the back. She flinched, and he saw that her hand was empty. Feeling a bit embarrassed by his overreaction, he let go of her arm and looked away as if deeply interested in the trees behind her. “Ah, you were, um, going to say something?” he mumbled awkwardly.

She shook her head, and as she did so her hair shifted to reveal a dark bruise along her shoulder. He tilted his head to get a better look at it and noticed that her glove had slipped down when he’d grabbed her arm; a nasty looking cut glared red against her pale skin, and as he examined her he spotted a stain near her wrist, nearly invisible against the black fabric, as though she had bled through the cloth. He frowned; Servants had natural restoration powers – she shouldn’t still be displaying wounds, especially not surface injuries like cuts and bruises. He reached for her again, this time slowly, and took her hand, running his fingers over the stain. She jerked away, leaving traces of red on his fingertips – the wound was still bleeding. He stared at her; were they recent injuries that just hadn’t had time to heal yet? But that wasn’t right – Saber recovered minutes after receiving a wound, at least on the surface. “Rider,” he asked softly, “Can’t you heal?”

She took a step back and to his bewilderment she looked almost frightened. “I must go.” She left at a run, stopping when she was nearly out of sight. “Walk home safely, Emiya Shirou.”

The mystery of Rider’s injuries troubled him all evening. He’d sensed something odd about her from the beginning, but when he mentioned it to the others Rin suggested that it was a warped nature brought about by Shinji’s flaws. For some reason this upset him, but he couldn’t find the right words to properly defend her with. He didn’t even know himself whether she could be trusted. He rubbed his thumb along the tips of his fingers; the red of her blood had mostly worn away but he still remembered the feel of it, warm against his hand. He shivered slightly, and Saber noticed, frowning at him. Before she could speak, though, his attention was diverted by Rin’s announcement that she was moving in. Ignoring his stuttering protests, she chose a large room near the end of the house and began to make herself at home. He gave up when his voice began to grow hoarse, and trudged back to the living room. Hopefully, Rin wouldn’t be too much of a nuisance. He sighed as he sat with a thud, resting his head against the table. The images of Rider returned to his mind almost immediately. He heard a light thump and looked up to see Saber sitting next to him, gazing at him with her piercing blue eyes. “You have something on your mind, Shirou. I would like to hear it.”

He hesitated before responding: he didn’t want Saber to discover that Rider was injured and try to take her out while she was vulnerable. “Nothing too important, just… is there a reason why a Servant wouldn’t heal? Anything that could go wrong, and interfere with that?”

Saber frowned, mulling it over. “I have never heard of an anomaly of that kind; the only reason a Servant would be unable to heal at all is if they were so weak that their magic could no longer support their basic protections, in which case they would be moments from dying.”

Shirou clenched his fist. She hadn’t seemed that bad – she certainly hadn’t seemed like she was at death’s door. If she was so low on magic Shinji wouldn’t have sent her out to accompany him to the gate, he’d have kept her safe so that she could rest and recover. There had to be a different reason, one that Saber didn’t know about. He nodded politely. “Thanks, Saber, that puts my mind at ease – now I know you won’t be held back by anything I might do wrong.” He changed the subject quickly, but he could tell Saber was still a bit suspicious. Yawning and stretching, he stood and headed for the door. “Well, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, and we’ll talk more then about the, you know, strategy stuff.”

He walked out to the dojo as nonchalantly as he could, then lay on his pallet for an hour staring sleeplessly up at the ceiling. If it wasn’t magical exhaustion, as Saber had suggested, then what could be causing Rider’s persisting injuries? Maybe some Servants couldn’t heal at all? No, that would be suicide, trying to take on Heroic Spirits without any protection. He groaned impatiently as he sat up; there was no helping it, he’d have to find an answer or he’d never be able to sleep. As quietly as he could he slipped out of the back door of the dojo, tiptoeing silently out of the grounds until he felt like he was far enough away, then breaking into a run. It was still early, not even eleven o’clock. With luck he’d be able to talk with Shinji. If the boy knew about Rider’s wounds, then he’d know why she didn’t heal; if he didn’t know she was hurt, he had to be told.

He preferred not to think about the logistics of it: what exactly he’d say, how he’d get Shinji to listen, whether Rider herself would let him mention her injuries. It didn’t seem to matter: If he could just see them both, it would be alright.

He stopped a few feet away from the Matou gate, panting heavily. When he’d caught his breath he slipped in between the bars, creeping silently up the path towards the house. He saw lights on in some of the windows and heard a muffled sound. Quickly he ducked behind a tree, hoping he hadn’t been spotted. The sound continued, and Shirou realized it was Shinji’s voice, raised in anger or frustration, he didn’t know which. Peering around the tree he saw forms silhouetted against the window, blurred yet distinguishable. Shinji was pacing back and forth in front of Rider, his tone more and more agitated as he went on. Shirou sighed; Shinji had always been a bit temperamental, even when they were kids. One just had to wait for him to exhaust himself. He watched almost nostalgically as Shinji gesticulated wildly. Then, without warning, the boy raised his arm and struck Rider hard across the face, knocking her to the ground. Shirou gasped, horrified, as Shinji sneered and kicked his fallen Servant viciously. Then, ill-humor gone, he departed, leaving Rider on the floor. She did not move for a long moment and Shirou held his breath, hoping that she was alright. Finally she stood, brushing her clothes off, and slowly exited after Shinji.

School the next day was torturous. He’d staggered home in a daze and spent the night tossing and turning, unable to keep from replaying the scene of his childhood friend beating his own Servant. Even now, sitting in class, he couldn’t avoid the images of Rider falling, of Shinji’s mocking smile as he struck her. Every few seconds he would glance at where Shinji sat, but the boy acted perfectly normal, flirting outrageously and laughing. There was no trace of the malice he’d shown the night before. Shirou clenched his fist; he had to find some way to see her, to talk with her. But how could he contact her without Shinji knowing? He brooded all morning, giving no heed to the teacher’s lecture. Finally, just before lunch, he had an idea. Scribbling hastily on a sheet of notebook paper, he grabbed a roll of tape and waited impatiently for the bell to ring. As the other students made their way out of the classroom, he leaned out the window and pressed the note against the wall beneath the sill, out of sight. The only person who could both see and reach that note would have to be climbing the wall itself. He hoped Rider was watching the classroom, protecting Shinji, so that she would find it. He spent the rest of the day fidgeting and when the bell finally rang it was all he could do to keep from leaping out of his seat. Struggling to remain calm he nonchalantly leaned against the window frame, peering down at the wall out of the corner of his eye. The note was gone.

The minutes ticked by impossibly slowly as he sat in the living room, waiting. He could tell Saber hadn’t quite believed his excuse about staying up to do homework, but she’d respected his privacy and had left to scout the area for possible threats. His schoolwork lay on the table, untouched. Ten o’clock passed, then eleven. At midnight he began to worry; perhaps she hadn’t gotten the note at all, perhaps it had just blown away. Or maybe Shinji had commanded her to go someplace else tonight. There were lots of things that could have prevented her from coming. At one o’clock he was ready to concede that she wasn’t going to come. He gathered his books, shoving them carelessly in his schoolbag once more, and began to head up the stairs. A noise made him pause and look back; Rider stood in the doorway, his note held in one graceful hand. He dropped his bag with a soft thud; blushing, he picked it up again and motioned for her to sit at the table. There was an awkward silence as they sat across from one another, until she reached out and placed the note on the table between them. “You sent for me?”

He looked down at his own handwriting and the short, concise message – “Come to my house tonight, once he’s asleep. E.S.”. He nodded jerkily. “Yes, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to ask you –“ he took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn’t be so offended that she’d leave, “Where did you get your injuries?”

He hoped she’d say something, anything, so he wouldn’t have to tell her he’d spied on her. She stared at a spot several feet above his head, not looking at him. “My health should be of no importance to you.”

He sighed inwardly; hopefully she wouldn’t be too angry. “Last night, after I left… well, I wasn’t, I mean, I couldn’t sleep, and, er…” He gritted his teeth. “I came back to talk with Shinji. I saw what happened.”

He saw her hands grip the edge of the table, hard. “Where? Where did you see…?”

He frowned. “In front of the bay window, in the study.” She relaxed slightly and his eyes widened as he realized what she’d implied. “You mean there was more, there were other times last night?” She looked away and despite the seriousness of the situation he almost smiled: he could always tell when someone was kicking themselves for saying too much, even Heroic Spirits. His humor faded when he saw that she was trembling. As he held out a hand to her she backed away, reaching the doorway in a second’s time. “No, please, don’t go!” he called desperately, “Please, I just want to know so I can help you.” She eyed him warily but didn’t leave, which he supposed was something. “I was worried, when I saw you weren’t healing I thought –“

“That I was weak?” she said, her voice quiet yet intense. “That I couldn’t defend myself, or that I was an easy conquest?”

He shook his head vigorously. “That’s not it at all. I know you’re a powerful warrior – you’ve proved that already.”

She stared him down. “Yet even then, in the forest, you called me weak. You taunted me for being less than the other Servants, said I was easy to defeat.”

He shook his head again. “I was wrong –“

“You were right.” He stared at her, stunned. She was examining the floorboards as though they were immensely interesting. “You were right – I am weaker than the others. I am not as strong as Berserker, nor as skilled as Saber. I have no magic like Caster, I cannot create new weapons as I please like Archer. My one advantage is my agility, my speed, and that cannot help me now.”

He had gradually drawn closer to her during her speech, and now reached out to take her hand. “Rider, tell me. Tell me why you’re hurt, why you can’t heal.”

As his fingers interlaced with hers her trembling increased, but he didn’t sense fear; it seemed like she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. Suddenly her whole body went limp, as though she’d given up resisting. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper. “A wound inflicted by a Servant’s own master cannot be healed by magic. The founders of the Grail War wanted to make certain that Servants could not rebel against their masters, despite being infinitely more powerful.”

He stared at her in horror. “So Shinji can just do whatever he wants?”

She didn’t answer: she didn’t have to. Without thinking he pulled her into an embrace, wrapping his arms gently around her waist. She stiffened, but relaxed when she realized he wouldn’t hurt her. She laid her head on his shoulder and he whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll protect you in any way I can.”

She laughed bitterly. “What could you possibly do, Emiya Shirou? He is my master – if he ordered me to kill you, I would be forced to obey him.”

Shirou was about to respond when he saw a ball of crackling black light shoot straight at Rider’s back. Without a second thought he shoved her to the floor, landing on top of her as the black ball collided with the far wall in an explosion of debris. She struggled beneath him but he ignored her, looking around for the source of the magic. “Rin!” he shouted angrily, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Rin emerged from the top of the stairs, her face livid. “How dare you, Shirou! We were partners, I moved into this house to protect you and help you, and now you’ve allied yourself with Shinji behind my back. From now on we’re enemies, and I will not hesitate to destroy you.”

She raised her hands again, black magic growing at her fingertips, and he leaned forward to cover as much of Rider’s body as he could, reaching out towards Rin. “It isn’t like that – I couldn’t care less about Shinji.”

She stared at him, disgust and disbelief written on her features. “You haven’t allied with Shinji, he’s just given you his Servant to toy with because she wasn’t busy?” He stared at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes. “You’re straddling her, Shirou, it doesn’t take a genius to tell what’s going on. I’m so sorry to have interrupted your little tryst.”

He looked at Rider for the first time and realized that her dress had been pulled down when he’d thrust her to the floor, revealing much of her breasts. He also became uncomfortably aware that one of his knees was situated between her legs. Blushing scarlet, he moved off of her as best he could while still shielding her from Rin’s fury. He muttered a hasty apology and she nodded, turning away from him and pulling her dress back up to cover herself. As she did so her back was exposed and he saw several other bruises, as well as a cut on the nape of her neck that looked fresh. Rin saw it too and for a moment she hesitated, uncertainty replacing anger. Then she glared at him with loathing once more. “You truly are despicable. Not only do you betray my trust but you take advantage of another master’s Servant, abusing your position and using her for some sort of sick target practice.”

He sat up, incensed. “I’ve done no such thing – I’ve already told you I didn’t ally with Shinji, and I would have expected you to know better than to accuse me of hurting a woman, any woman, even a Servant.”

Rin pursed her lips. “Explain those, then,” she said, pointing to the marks on Rider’s back. The Servant saw where she was indicating and quickly hid the bruises beneath her long hair. Rin glanced at her before continuing. “She didn’t get them on her own, and they have to have been made by you or they’d have healed by now.”

Shirou looked at Rider, waiting for permission before he told Rin anything personal about her, and she nodded miserably. He held her hand tightly, then turned back to Rin. “I didn’t hurt her, Shinji did. He’s been hurting her for a while now, I think it’s been getting worse and worse, and she can’t heal from it because he’s her master. This stupid Grail War of yours has some pretty messed up rules, letting masters hurt their Servants without fear of retribution.”

Rin frowned, but this time she looked confused. “I’ve never read anything about that in my books of sorcery.”

Shirou rolled his eyes and held Rider’s arm out so that she could see the bloodstains on the fabric of the Servant’s glove. “You don’t have to be an expert to tell it’s the truth.”

The magic faded from Rin’s hands as she met his eyes, and he found it impossible to look away. Then, without warning, she spun on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen. Shirou stared after her in confusion until she returned, bearing two wet towels and a jar of ointment. She shoved one into Shirou’s hand and knelt by his side, reaching out to rest a hand on Rider’s shoulder. “Is what he says true, then?” Rider nodded self-consciously. Rin bowed her head. “Then as a responsible member of the mages council I will aid him and help you in any way that I can.”

She ran the towel gently across a cut on Rider’s shoulder and the Servant jumped, but did not pull away. Encouraged by her response, Shirou undid the fastenings on the top of her gloves and pulled them off, using his towel to clean the wounds on her arms. The pair of them worked their way around Rider’s body, spreading the ointment on the various cuts that marred her skin. Several were already infected, and Rin made a “tsk” sound before running back to the medicine cabinet, returning with a bottle of antiseptic. Rider inhaled sharply when the liquid burned as it hit her cuts, but otherwise remained still and practically lifeless. It was as though she’d given up all her pride and become as docile and obedient as the human servants she was named for. They did not attempt to care for the wounds they knew lay hidden beneath her dress: she deserved to have some of her modesty preserved, and though he was loathe to admit it Shirou was frightened of what he'd find beneath the fabric. Shinji was known at school for being a bit of a rake, and Shirou preferred not to think about what he might do if left with a woman who could not refuse him. They finished just as the faint light of dawn appeared on the horizon. Rider stood and walked slowly to the door. “I must go – he’ll be needing me as soon as he wakes up.”

Shirou came up behind her and laid gentle hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. “We’ll come for you tomorrow night. I don’t know when or how yet, but we’ll find something. I’ll let you know of the plan by leaving you a note in the same way I did before, on the wall at school.”

She nodded, then to his shock leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You are very good natured, Shirou.”

She straightened and looked at Rin, who turned away, nose in the air. “I am simply protecting the reputation of the mages council. Shinji has committed an offense, and it must be resolved.”

She glanced back and Shirou could tell she was not as aloof as she was trying to appear. Rider nodded her head and disappeared in an instant across the rooftops. Rin came to stand by Shirou and the pair looked after her in silence for a minute. Then Rin elbowed him in the ribs. “Well don’t just stand there, stupid, start scheming. We only have a few more hours to come up with a plan to get her away from that brute.” Shirou nodded solemnly and they returned to the table, forgoing sleep and working until Taiga and Sakura arrived for breakfast.

Shirou soon realized that communicating with Rider at school would be far more difficult this time. His teacher had noticed his lack of attention the day before, and took it upon herself to call on him at every opportunity. He was forced to improvise several answers, and the professor was not pleased. At lunchtime she called him to her office, lecturing him on the importance of homework and note taking until he wanted to run screaming from the room. He had always been a rather mediocre student, and the advent of the Grail war had impacted his grades for the worse; he hoped he would still be able to pass his classes, but of course it was more important to ensure that there were actually classes left to pass. However, he couldn’t use “fighting magicians” as an excuse for not studying. He nodded seriously as she chastised him and left as quickly as he was able. He made it back to his desk with fifteen minutes to spare before the end of break, and hastily composed a message to Rider. After some desperate searching – he really needed to organize his desk in his free time – he found the tape and went to the window once more. He was about to lean out when a soft voice made him freeze. “Senpai, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I didn’t see you, at least.”

Sakura walked over to him and he hastily shoved the note in his pocket. “No, er, I’m, I’m not hungry right now. Breakfast was very good.”

She smiled slightly at the compliment, then took his hand and began to lead him to the door. “You have to eat, there’s another four hours to go: you’ll get tired, and your teacher will be even more upset.”

He stood up straighter. “How did you know my teacher was upset?”

She blushed. “I – I overheard Shinji talking about it."

Shirou grimaced and cursed Shinji silently. He didn’t mind his reputation being sullied, but it had sent Sakura looking for him, and that was creating a far bigger problem. “I’m really fine, Sakura.”

She shook her head adamantly. “I saved some of my lunch for you – please, senpai?”

Glancing longingly back at the window, he let her lead him out the door.

He had hoped for another chance to affix the note to the wall, but none came. Shinji was watching him, and he couldn’t risk his message being seen. As the final bell rang he made a last ditch attempt to get to the window, but got caught in a group of giggling girls. After that, there was no hope: trying to return to the window would only draw attention to himself, attention he couldn’t afford. They would just have to go in blind, without Rider’s help. He thought guiltily of how the Servant must feel, waiting for his message that would never come. He hoped that she could trust him enough to still believe that he would help.

Rin was waiting when he got home and the pair of them waited anxiously for the sun to set. Rin reviewed her spells, and Shirou practiced strengthening objects, hoping that he wouldn’t have to use his power. It wasn’t particularly reliable, as Archer kept obnoxiously pointing out. Both he and Saber had been extremely reluctant to help Rider in any way. Only the threat of a command spell made them back down, and Shirou had been forced to placate Saber by telling her that she would be in charge of keeping Rider immobilized if Shinji tried to command the other Servant to attack. From the icy resolve on Saber’s face, he suspected his Servant might be inclined to take things a little too far, but it was too late to worry about that now. They set off down the back streets towards the forest, taking the longest route to avoid any sort of magical protection that might be set in place. Though Shinji claimed to be incapable of practicing magic, Shirou had come to doubt his word on anything relating to the Grail war: his ambition outweighed his honesty. Thinking back to Rider’s state the night before, Shirou grimaced; he didn’t know what Shinji’s endgame was, but hurting someone who’d been summoned to help him was so illogical, so against the stated purpose of the war that Shirou had to wonder if something was wrong with the other boy. Perhaps he’d summoned Rider incorrectly and it had addled his mind, or perhaps his books of sorcery had misled him into thinking a Servant could be used in any way he liked. Maybe he didn’t realize how badly he’d hurt her. Deep down, Shirou knew he was making up excuses to try and hide from the truth: there was no way that Shinji wouldn’t notice the injuries Rider had sustained, or the fact that she couldn’t heal them; there was no way any book pertaining to the war would suggest abusing a Servant – it was counterproductive if the master wanted to win; there was no way that Shinji would be injured in a summoning if Shirou himself hadn’t been hurt – Shinji had a much greater knowledge of the magical arts than Shirou would ever have. His friend had truly become his enemy, in name and in action.

They reached the Matou estate and stopped as Saber and Archer did a quick scan of the grounds, confirming that no magical traps awaited them. They found a little-used door and with a single whispered spell Rin unlocked it, letting it swing open silently. Shirou led the way: he’d been to the manor many times during his childhood, and knew every room and staircase by heart. Reaching the main entrance hall, they noticed a light under the door to the study. He and Saber crept over to the door, while Archer and Rin remained a safe distance behind as back-up. Then, muffled by the heavy wood, they heard a low moan. Peering through the keyhole, Shirou blushed scarlet; Rider lay face down on the floor, with Shinji sitting on top of her. The boy’s hand rested nonchalantly on his Servant’s thigh, his other hand wrapped in her hair.

Shirou pulled away from the door, trying to get the image out of his mind, and Saber replaced him at the keyhole. Her face darkened and she shot a glance at Shirou that clearly said, “I told you she wasn't worth the effort."

They heard another low moan, followed by the sound of a slap against bare flesh. “Shut up, you worthless piece of trash; you sound like you’re in heat.”

Another slap followed the first, and he saw Saber’s face change from contempt to surprise to anger as she realized what Shinji was really doing. This time when she looked at Shirou it was with determination, steely resolve glittering in her eyes. Without further hesitation they barged into the room and Saber headed straight to Rider, yanking her out from underneath the boy and slamming her up against a wall to immobilize her. Shirou noticed that although Saber’s actions were rough, she held the other Servant more gently than she would have mere minutes before. Shinji scrambled away from Shirou, aiming for the far door but backing into the desk instead. “Rider, come here, you little bi-“

“Shinji!” Shirou growled, shocking even himself at the sheer ferocity in his tone. “What were you doing? Our Servants are not meant to be playthings or punching bags!”

Despite his inferior position, Shinji sneered. “You always were a bleeding-heart. How someone like you ever got ahold of a Servant like Saber is beyond me – I’d be farther along if I hadn’t been stuck with a weakling like Rider.”

Shirou glanced over to where Rider stood powerless, trapped beneath Saber’s strong arms. The woman had stopped even trying to struggle, instead staring at them anxiously. Shirou looked down at Shinji contemptuously, unable to believe how low his friend had sunk. He was about to start in on a tirade when he heard a gasp by the door. Sakura stood just inside the doorframe, eyes fixed on the strange scene before her; no doubt she’d been awakened by the sounds of their ambush, and had come to investigate. Shinji took advantage of Shirou's momentary distraction, shoving him aside and racing towards Sakura. A pocket-knife appeared in his hand as he tackled his sister, knocking her to the ground. Holding the knife to her throat, he smiled triumphantly at Shirou. “Don’t take another step, or you’ll be the one responsible for her death.”

Shirou stared at him in horror; It was one thing to harm Rider, who, despite her helplessness, was still a part of the war; it was another to bring Sakura into this mess. The girl quailed at her brother’s touch and for the first time Shirou noticed the shadow of a bruise along her jaw. He felt rage coursing through his body. “How dare you. How dare you hurt your sister, Shinji! She is uninvolved in this conflict – what kind of monster have you become?”

He took a step towards them and Shinji pulled Sakura nearer to his chest. “Careful now, Emiya – you wouldn’t want my hand to…slip.” Sakura gasped as a thin red line appeared across her throat. Then, as Shirou watched, everything went mad.

There was a crash as Saber toppled over, hitting a lamp and sending glass shards skittering across the floor; Sakura fell forward, free of her brother’s restraining arms; a strangled cry filled the air and Shirou spun to see Shinji, his back pressed up against the wall, his feet dangling a foot off the ground, and Rider’s hands wrapped tightly around his neck. He still held the knife and he plunged it repeatedly into her back, sending streams of blood down her long legs, but her grip did not falter. He slowly weakened, eyes bulging and face turning blue, until he no longer moved. Only then did she release him, letting his lifeless body drop to the floor. She managed to take a few steps backwards before falling herself, deathly pale from the wounds she could not heal. Shirou ran to her, but Saber got there first. Gently, she turned Rider onto one side and examined the wounds. The stabs were deep, bleeding heavily and staining the carpet. Rider was shaking, her breathing shallow. Shirou knelt beside her and lifted her awkwardly so that her head lay in his lap, and looked desperately at Saber. The Servant gazed back seriously. “I’m sorry, Shirou, I can’t help with this. She needs an infusion of mana so large that only her own master can provide it, and she no longer has one.”

Shirou clenched his fist. “Can’t one of us become her master, then?”

He glanced at Rin, who stood by the door. She shook her head. “You aren’t strong enough to take on the physical demands of two Servants. And before you ask, neither am I – it takes a lot out of a person to become a master to even one Servant, let alone two.”

To his shame Shirou felt tears welling in his eyes; it was just so wrong, so unfair that Rider would be forced to die by Shinji’s hand. He felt light fingers brush a tear from his cheek; Rider was looking at him with sad resignation. “It’s alright, Shirou: I know you tried, and it was my choice to attack Shinji without a plan for my own safety.”

A shadow fell over both of them: Sakura stood staring down at Rider with an unreadable expression on her face. “Why, Rider? Why did you attack him?”

Rider could not meet her gaze. “I don’t – I couldn’t…” She took a deep breath and moaned in pain as she fought to stay conscious. “I let him hurt you. Before, when he hit you, I just watched. I knew you weren’t involved in this war, knew there was no reason to punish you, but I didn’t stop him. I was frightened of what he’d do to me if I protected you.”

She laughed mirthlessly, then began to cough, her face ashen. Shirou looked pleadingly at Saber, but his Servant shook her head; there was nothing they could do now. Rider’s coughs slowly subsided and she looked up at Sakura smiling sadly. “I couldn’t bear being called a 'Heroic Spirit' while being too cowardly to protect an innocent victim. I couldn’t you put in even more danger, not when it looked like he was about to follow through on his threats to kill you.”

Sakura was still staring at her, and Shirou could feel Rider’s body weakening. He hated being powerless, but unless a way could be found to heal Rider’s wounds there was nothing he could do but watch her die. Sakura knelt beside him, her eyes locked on Rider, and took the Servant’s hand. Then her gaze flicked to the door, where Rin stood awkwardly. “Must you be a mage, then, to become a master, or simply come from a magical line?”

Rin started and stared at her. “Um, just a – just someone from the original mage families, I don’t think Shinji had any magic.”

Sakura looked at Shirou, her expression almost pleading. “Then let me become her master; I’m Shinji’s sister, our blood is the same, surely that would work.”

She looked back at Rin and the girl nodded cautiously. “You don’t have the skill or power for a summoning, but since Rider is already in this world the circumstances are different.”

“Show me,” Sakura begged, “You have magic, show me how to help her.”

Rin still seemed hesitant, and Shirou shot a glare at her that she pointedly ignored. She knelt by Sakura, taking the younger girl’s hand and resting it on Rider’s breast, above her heart. Slowly she began to intone a spell in some archaic language, pausing after every few words so that Sakura could repeat after her. Shirou watched, fascinated, until he felt Rider tense. The girls had managed to conjure a sphere of white light that slowly sank into the Servant’s chest, and from the way Rider’s teeth were clenched Shirou surmised that the process was painful. Rin’s chanting grew louder, Sakura’s reedy voice following a beat behind. The final word was a shout, and as it died away Rider began to glow. At Rin’s urging Sakura took Rider’s hand; the Servant struggled to remain conscious, but met the girl’s eyes calmly. “Servant Rider: I have come forth in response to your call. I ask, are you my master?”

Sakura nodded, overwhelmed, then gasped and yanked her hand back from Rider’s chest. A set of command spells lazily carved their way into her flesh. Her eyes glittered with tears, but she brushed them away impatiently with her other hand. “I am your master – I have called you.”

Rider nodded, smiling sadly. “From now on my skills shall be with you, and your fate shall be with me.”

The light faded quickly, leaving Sakura and Rider staring solemnly at one another. Rin broke the silence by nudging Rider with her foot. “So, are you strong enough to last a bit longer now?”

For answer, the cuts along Rider’s arms and neck began to heal, bruises disappearing as though they had never existed. Without warning Sakura fell forward onto Rider, hugging her tightly. Rider grimaced with pain once more, but ran a gentle hand through Sakura’s hair. “I swear to you, master, I will protect you from harm. This is a horrible, bloody war and I’m so sorry to have gotten you involved in it.”

Sakura shook her head. “You didn’t get me into this, Shinji did. At least now I have control over what happens to me.” she looked down at the Servant’s steadily healing wounds. "And what happens to you.”

Rin stood, pulling Sakura to her feet, and Shirou helped Rider up. She leaned on him for support, but became markedly more stable as he watched. Her skin had gained a luster he’d never seen before, probably similar to how it had looked before Shinji drove all the life out of her. She took Sakura’s hand and the young girl leaned against her, smiling. Shirou sidled up to Rin, speaking in barely more than a whisper so as not to be overheard. “We can still keep an eye on them, if you have concerns about Rider reentering the battle or –"

Rin gave a minute shake of her head. “That won’t be necessary, I don’t think. Neither of them seem like the combative sort, and since Shinji is gone there is no need for the other Servants to concern themselves with Rider as long as she stays peaceful.”

Shirou looked at the pair, who walked arm in arm as Sakura guided Rider to a chair. He agreed with Rin completely; somehow, he suspected those two would be more than happy to build and rebuild their lives without the shadow of war hanging over them.

A sudden rumbling noise interrupted his musings, followed by the light sound of laughter. Rider was blushing, but Sakura’s eyes sparkled like they hadn’t in a long time, and she turned to Shirou with a smile. “Time for food, I guess!”

Grabbing a surprised Rin by the hand, she ran towards the kitchen, returning a moment later with a tray piled high with leftovers. “It’s not great, but since we’re all hungry –“ She didn’t even have a chance to complete the sentence; the Servants fell upon the food like ravenous wolves, and the humans followed suit a moment later, silently enjoying each others’ company in a rare peaceful moment amid the endless stream of battles. Alliances might change, people might get hurt, but for now, Shirou reflected as he reached for a second helping, they were just friends enjoying a meal.


End file.
